Lyon (Rhone). It is a sea serpent that has regularly resurfaced, for almost twenty years, in municipal debates in Lyon. The rehabilitation of the old Guimet Museum, emptied of its collections since 2007 for the benefit of the Musée des Confluences, is certainly a subject of friction: criticism around the management of the file, controversy born from the hypothesis of a sale of the building “to the highest bidder” in 2023… This possibility, the ecological municipality has since ruled out and is now hastening to present its avenues of reflection on the future of the place before the next elections.
Four options offered
In January, a steering committee bringing together elected officials from the City and the 6th arrondissement examined four proposals. First of all, that of a “Guimet Foundation” which would combine culture, research and patronage according to a public-private partnership model, “in continuation of the philanthropic spirit carried by (its founder) Émile Guimet”. Then, the more unusual idea of transforming it into a “Sports Casino”, where the large room would become a multi-purpose hall which would host sports and well-being activities (martial arts, dance, yoga, fitness) as well as training areas. co-working. The creation of a Palace of Lights has also been advanced, in which immersive exhibitions would be organized. Finally, there remains that of a new Guimet museum intended to host artistic exhibitions and artistic and cultural education (EAC) courses.
In the end, three options were chosen: the Guimet Foundation, the Sports Casino and a merger between the two remaining options, i.e. a “Palais des Lumières” project combining event space and new museum.
These proposals will be examined and refined by the programmer Co-S Event until May, before a final choice is made next June. Whatever option is chosen, the budgetary envelope promises to be substantial: between 43 and 48 million euros planned for the complete renovation of the building, of which the municipality points out the “advanced dilapidation” but also its “remarkable architectural potential, particularly its large glass roof”. The work to be undertaken promises to be heavy: asbestos removal, lead removal, upgrading to thermal standards, security and structural interventions. So many operations necessary to bring new life to this site of nearly 9,000 m² to which are added 1,300 m² of basements, unoccupied since its closure in 2007, with the exception of a few occasional openings during the Contemporary Art Biennale in 2022 then the “Obey” exhibition in 2023. Before that, the building had already undergone many conversions: brasserie, theater then ice rink, before being bought by the City of Lyon and transformed into a natural history museum throughout the 20th century.
View of the exhibition “1001 Reasons to (dis)OBEY” by Shepard Fairey at the Guimet Museum in Lyon in 2023.
